British PM Candidate Says All Options On Table If Iran Nuclear Deal Collapses

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said that she remains committed to standing up to Iranian hostility and their pursuit of nuclear weapons. 

Truss, who is a candidate to becomes the next UK prime minister at next month’s Conservative Party leadership election, made the remarks in a letter to Conservative Friends of Israel parliamentary group, adding that “I have been clear that progress on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is not moving fast enough and I assure you that if the JCPOA collapses, all options are on the table.”

Truss also Israel’s launch of Operation Breaking Dawn on targets of Iran-backed Islamic Jihad militant outfit in Gaza, with the Foreign Office saying, "The UK stands by Israel and its right to defend itself. We condemn terrorist groups firing at civilians and violence which has resulted in casualties on both sides. We call for a swift end to the violence."

The other Conservative candidate, Rishi Sunak, wrote in his letter to the pro-Israel group that he would seek “a new, strengthened nuclear deal that extends the sunset clauses, lengthens the breakout period and curtails Iran’s ballistic missile program. The credible threat of snapback sanctions, which has so far been missing from the negotiations, is the only way we can force Iran to seriously engage with these proposals.”

He added, “Iran’s quest for regional hegemony and the threat it poses to Israel concerns me deeply. We cannot allow Iran to possess a nuclear weapon and the UK and Israel must enhance our diplomatic, defense and intelligence cooperation to prevent this from happening.”